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At the time I’m recording this video, I live off crypto and I’m 48 years old. In this post, I’ll share 10 brutal truths I wish I knew before investing in crypto, real lessons that can save you from the most common crypto investing mistakes.
This post covers three things: investing, trading, and thinking in crypto.
1. Don’t Do What Everybody Else Is Doing
You don’t have to trade like everyone else.
You can be an investor, a day trader, or a swing trader. Every style has its own rhythm.
When I first started, I tried everything. Investing, trading, swing trading, a bit of all three. But I learned that I was much better at swing trading than day trading, and that’s okay. Everyone has a strength and a style that fits them.
Even within swing trading, you can specialize. I prefer range and breakout trading. Others might only trade breakouts. That is fine.
The key is this: stop copying others. Find what fits you and master that.
2. Don’t Trade Crypto Based on News
Do not trade based on news.
Crypto looks like it reacts to headlines, but it really doesn’t. If you use technical analysis, you can see moves before the news even hits.
The market moves first. The news only explains it afterward.
There is news for the masses and news for the classes. Guess which one we get. By the time we hear it, it’s too late.
Even when interest rates are cut, markets often go down. Look at the dot com bubble, 2009, and the pandemic. The opposite of what people expect usually happens.
So forget the noise. Show me the charts, and I will tell you the news.
3. The Best Time to Buy Crypto Is Not During the Bear Market
You often hear “buy the bear market.” It sounds smart but it is not.
Bear markets can last years. Teams quit. Projects fail. Technology becomes outdated.
The best time to buy is as the bear market ends. That is when you see which projects survived, which ones are building, and which have real momentum.
That is when trends begin. That is when you can buy what actually moves.
The exception is Bitcoin. You can buy that almost anytime.
4. Don’t Keep Buying the Dip
Everyone loves saying “buy the dip.” Stop it.
You buy a coin, it drops. You buy again. It drops more. Meanwhile, another coin is taking off and you are missing it.
Buying dips only works when the trend is still intact. Once the trend is broken, you are just throwing money at a loser.
Think of it like a business.
Imagine a man selling red, green, and blue dresses. Red ones sell out. Green and blue sit on the racks. The supplier offers him a discount on blue dresses. He buys more. They still don’t sell. Soon, he has no money left to buy red dresses, the ones that actually sell.
That is exactly what happens in crypto when you keep buying the dip. You end up stuck with losing coins while the winners keep running.
Buy what is working. You can always go back to your favorite coin later if it proves itself.
5. Don’t Ignore Bitcoin
A lot of people think they understand Bitcoin, but they really don’t.
Yes, altcoins can pump harder, but long term, they all lose to Bitcoin.
Split your portfolio. Half in altcoins, half in Bitcoin. If all your alts go to zero, Bitcoin can still double and cover your losses.
Bitcoin is your foundation. It is the sound, hard money that lets you stay in the game.
6. Technical Analysis Works (If You Learn It Right)
Stop listening to people who say technical analysis doesn’t work. It does. They just never learned it properly.
Most people on YouTube who claim to teach technical analysis have no idea what they are doing. Some got lucky once and now think they are experts.
Even the few who do understand it are mostly day traders. They have to post daily content, so one day they are bullish and the next they are bearish. That is not realistic for you.
Real technical analysis takes years to learn. It is a skill like any other. But once you master it, you can make more money than many traditional professions.
Swing trading is far more forgiving. You use longer time frames, you have time to think, and you avoid emotional trades. Some of the best traders in the world only take a few trades a year.
If you want to learn to swing trade the right way, use tools that make it easier and faster. I built one for myself called The Factor Line, and I’ll share more about it later.
7. Stop Using Bitcoin Dominance to Predict Alt Seasons
Bitcoin dominance used to help identify when altcoins would run. That time is gone.
There are now tens of thousands of coins. The market has changed.
Even if Bitcoin dominance goes up, certain alt sectors can still explode. We have seen it with AI coins, gaming coins, and meme coins.
Alt seasons are now selective. Only strong sectors move together.
Watch ETH against BTC or ETH against SOL. That is where rotations begin.
8. Always Take Profits
Every trader has been there. Your coin goes parabolic. You decide to wait just a bit longer. Then it dumps.
It happened with SafeMoon. It happened with XRP. It will happen again.
You cannot go wrong by taking profits. Move them into USDT or Bitcoin. That way, you still stay in crypto and you protect your gains.
Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered. Don’t be the pig.
9. Stop Chasing the Next 1000x Coin
Everyone dreams of finding the one coin that turns a thousand dollars into a million. That almost never happens.
Even when it does, luck is usually involved. I have called 100x and 1000x coins before, but those came from baskets of many picks.
Instead of chasing one miracle coin, focus on doubling your capital consistently. Ten 2x wins get you to 1000x.
It is not glamorous, but it works.
10. Get Out Before the Bear Market
Every bull run ends the same way. People say this time is different. It looks different. It feels different. Then the market collapses.
I follow the four year cycle until proven otherwise.
When you start to see signs of topping, take out 80 percent of your portfolio. Keep 20 percent in just in case it runs higher.
If it keeps going up, great. You still win. If it crashes, you saved most of your profits.
Most people in crypto lose everything because they hold too long. Don’t be one of them.
The Factor Line and the Way I Trade
I built an indicator called The Factor Line for my own trading. It shows when to enter and when to exit with incredible clarity.
It teaches you technical analysis faster, highlights reversal patterns, and helps you trade ranges and breakouts the same way I do.
You can only get access to it inside my course, Invest, Trade, and Think Like The Crypto Factor.
If you got value from this article, imagine how much more you can get when you learn the full system and mindset behind it.
👉 Discover the system that helps me live off crypto and trade with precision. Click here to learn more.
Or if you already joined, check out the next video — it will level up your trading instantly.
Check out reseources I use for trading and navigating crypto by clicking here